The first race of 2021 is in the books!
This past weekend I was able to do my first in-person race in well over a year and it felt amazing to be back out there. I love love love all the fun that comes with race day, and this one did not disappoint. There’s just something about being surrounded by local runners doing what we love that just makes the energy out there electric. It’s one of my favorite places to be doing one of my most favorite things.
So, let’s jump right into my first race recap of the year!
(PS I hope you all had an amazing Easter weekend!!)
I’ll start today’s post with a rewind back to Friday night (night before race day).
I got in a simple bowl of pasta. While 6.2 miles isn’t too long in comparison to half marathons or full marathons, I still got in a healthy dose of carbs just for fun. I just combined some ground beef with Annie’s parmesan mac and cheese pasta and it hit the spot!
Then, I got in a good stretch with a Peloton yoga class.
I also went ahead and laid out my clothes too to be sure I didn’t forget anything I needed. I thought it was going to be a little chillier than it turned out to be so I ended up having an outfit change last minute with a different runt top. But, everything else stayed the same.
The morning of I woke up around 6:15 (race started at 8) so I had plenty of time to hydrate, grab a banana for breakfast and do a little bit of at-home stretching before we hit the door. The start line was only about 15 minutes away so I had a good amount of time to wake up and get ready for the day.
I pinned on my number and headed to the start line. It couldn’t have been better weather to run. It was crisp and cool and super sunny. Is there really a better combo for race day? I don’t think so…
There were about 200 runners total out there and everyone seemed to keep distancing in mind and a few runners had their masks. Overall, they did a really great job of keeping the current “circumstances” in mind while giving us a sense of normalcy of this in-person race. In my opinion, it couldn’t have turned out better.
Then, it was go time!
We ran a super flat course the entire time around a small portion of the Arkansas River trail and the surrounding neighborhoods in Two Rivers. The views were beautiful, especially with all the sunshine shining bright and early. Nick snapped this picture from early in the race as I went by.
After 6.2 miles, I rounded the last corner and crossed my first finish line of the year! YAY! I really could’ve ran forever with this one. It just felt so good to be back out on the roads in an actual race.
I went out there with really zero expectations of how it would go. With all the treadmill running I’ve been doing, I really wasn’t sure what would happen. I wanted to get close to my previous 10k time for this course but I just went out there mainly to soak in all of the fun of a real race. I felt REALLY good the first 3 miles, so my 5k was everything I hoped it would be. I started to slow down that last half, so I know I have some strength and endurance work to get in to get better with my progression as the distances increase. I would like to do more 5k races though and see if I can get below the 25 min mark. That would be a fun PR to aim for. 🙂
Here is a quick snapshot of my splits.
Happy as can be with 6.2 miles under me.
After the race ended we ran by Chik-fil-a for a celebratory quick breakfast biscuit.
Then, I headed home to soak in all the epsom salts for recovery.
I was surprisingly really sore after this race, but I know it’s due to my not really running up to 6 miles and pushing myself the entire time for well…a really long time. But, it definitely gives me a good starting point to see where I can improve with strength, endurance, and yoga training for future races and distances.
I can’t say enough good things about this race. It was SO MUCH FUN and I’m so thankful I got signed up and was able to get back out there to race again. Slowly but surely life is somewhat returning post-pandemic and I’m all kinds of excited to see it.
I’ll say it again because it’s never not true- the running community is THE BEST and I am always so happy to be surrounded by fellow run-lovers on race day. We’re all out there doing our own thing and doing what makes us happy and I love every second of it. The support and encouragement amongst everyone along the way is hands down my favorite thing and I can’t wait to get to my next start line really soon!
Alright guys, that’s a wrap on my first race recap! Thank you, as always, for stopping by the blog today!
I hope you have a fabulous Monday and a great week ahead!
Questions for you:
How was your weekend? Did you have a great Easter?
Do you have any races planned soon?
What’s the furthest distance you’ve completed if you’re a runner?
What’s your favorite Easter candy?
Congrats on rocking your 10k! I bet that was the best Chik-fil-a ever. I got to do a “real” 15k a few weeks ago and have a 10 miler in a few weeks. My max is a half but those take a lot out of me and the 15k/10 mile distance is just perfect. A little challenging but not devastating to have to recover from.